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Delay Factors Experienced in the Medupi Power Station Project: A Unique or Common Case?
The Medupi power station project was initiated to address the shortfall of power supply experienced in South Africa since the year 2008. The project which is comprised of six units each with a generating capacity of 794MW commenced construction in the year 2007 and was planned to be completed in the...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | Eng |
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Department of Construction Economics and Management
2024
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| _version_ | 1867613962407772160 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Gichuki, Mariah |
| author2 | Tuan, Nien-Tsu |
| author_browse | Gichuki, Mariah Tuan, Nien-Tsu |
| author_facet | Tuan, Nien-Tsu Gichuki, Mariah |
| author_sort | Gichuki, Mariah |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The Medupi power station project was initiated to address the shortfall of power supply experienced in South Africa since the year 2008. The project which is comprised of six units each with a generating capacity of 794MW commenced construction in the year 2007 and was planned to be completed in the year 2012. However, the project experienced delays of more than nine years with construction completion being achieved in the year 2021 according to information on the official Eskom website. This delay has contributed to the frustration expressed by public and the industry in Eskom's implemented power rationing on various occasions during peak supply periods to stabilize the national grid. The primary aim of this research is to determine the factors that contributed to the delays experienced on the project. The secondary aim of this research is to determine whether the delay factors experienced on the Medupi power station project are unique or common to the delay factors experienced in other construction projects around the world. A qualitative case study methodology was selected for this research due to its applicability in the investigation of a ring fenced unit or phenomenon(Merriam and Tisdell, 2015). To achieve the primary aim of the research, data collection was done through open ended interviews with six project participants from the client and contractors' sides, the objective was to gain a detailed description of the delay factors from the perspective of the parties involved in the project. The interviews were conducted and recorded through the Microsoft Teams video conferencing facility. The interview data was transcribed and thereafter analysed and coded using the NVivo software. Thematic analysis of the interview data identified a total of eight delay factors that were experienced on the Medupi power station project. These delay factors include Insufficient Front- end Planning, Lack of skills and experience, Quality issues, Labour unrest, Unproductivity and lack of motivation to complete project, low processing of documentation, Conflict between project parties, and Political Pressure. A comparison of the delay factors on other similar construction projects around the world documented in existing literature reviewed by the author to those identified in the interview data indicated that Political pressure and Lack of Engineering skills delay factors are not documented in reviewed literature and are therefore noted as unique to the Medupi power station project. The findings of this research could serve as important lessons learnt to be considered by project managers in mitigating delays in future projects. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/39460 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | Eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:28.910Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Department of Construction Economics and Management |
| publisherStr | Department of Construction Economics and Management |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/39460 Delay Factors Experienced in the Medupi Power Station Project: A Unique or Common Case? Gichuki, Mariah Tuan, Nien-Tsu Project Management The Medupi power station project was initiated to address the shortfall of power supply experienced in South Africa since the year 2008. The project which is comprised of six units each with a generating capacity of 794MW commenced construction in the year 2007 and was planned to be completed in the year 2012. However, the project experienced delays of more than nine years with construction completion being achieved in the year 2021 according to information on the official Eskom website. This delay has contributed to the frustration expressed by public and the industry in Eskom's implemented power rationing on various occasions during peak supply periods to stabilize the national grid. The primary aim of this research is to determine the factors that contributed to the delays experienced on the project. The secondary aim of this research is to determine whether the delay factors experienced on the Medupi power station project are unique or common to the delay factors experienced in other construction projects around the world. A qualitative case study methodology was selected for this research due to its applicability in the investigation of a ring fenced unit or phenomenon(Merriam and Tisdell, 2015). To achieve the primary aim of the research, data collection was done through open ended interviews with six project participants from the client and contractors' sides, the objective was to gain a detailed description of the delay factors from the perspective of the parties involved in the project. The interviews were conducted and recorded through the Microsoft Teams video conferencing facility. The interview data was transcribed and thereafter analysed and coded using the NVivo software. Thematic analysis of the interview data identified a total of eight delay factors that were experienced on the Medupi power station project. These delay factors include Insufficient Front- end Planning, Lack of skills and experience, Quality issues, Labour unrest, Unproductivity and lack of motivation to complete project, low processing of documentation, Conflict between project parties, and Political Pressure. A comparison of the delay factors on other similar construction projects around the world documented in existing literature reviewed by the author to those identified in the interview data indicated that Political pressure and Lack of Engineering skills delay factors are not documented in reviewed literature and are therefore noted as unique to the Medupi power station project. The findings of this research could serve as important lessons learnt to be considered by project managers in mitigating delays in future projects. 2024-04-25T12:35:39Z 2024-04-25T12:35:39Z 2023 2024-04-23T13:37:17Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39460 Eng application/pdf Department of Construction Economics and Management Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment |
| spellingShingle | Project Management Gichuki, Mariah Delay Factors Experienced in the Medupi Power Station Project: A Unique or Common Case? |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Delay Factors Experienced in the Medupi Power Station Project: A Unique or Common Case? |
| title_full | Delay Factors Experienced in the Medupi Power Station Project: A Unique or Common Case? |
| title_fullStr | Delay Factors Experienced in the Medupi Power Station Project: A Unique or Common Case? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Delay Factors Experienced in the Medupi Power Station Project: A Unique or Common Case? |
| title_short | Delay Factors Experienced in the Medupi Power Station Project: A Unique or Common Case? |
| title_sort | delay factors experienced in the medupi power station project a unique or common case |
| topic | Project Management |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39460 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gichukimariah delayfactorsexperiencedinthemedupipowerstationprojectauniqueorcommoncase |